Exotic hirelings' races/origins

 

Tired of bland and ordinary meatshields? FUCK 'EM UP! Roll 1d100 and see their totally insane origins:

1. Rhino Man
2. Wooden automaton
3. Sentient Crab
4. Inverted Silver Pyramid
5. Giant Halfling
   
6. Skinless One
   
7. Clay Golem
8. Pink Elf
9. Cat
   
10. Mummy
11. Orc Gentleman
12. Merman / Mermaid
13. Clockwork Man
14. Clock Man
    
15. Glowing Kobold
16. Rusty Iron Dwarf
17. Fire Drake
18. Animated Lead Soldier
    
19. Two-Headed Minotaur
20. Lamprey Vampire
21. Masked Cosmic Horror
22. Animated Sword
23. Eel Lord / Lady
24. Chain Golem
25. Warrior's Spirit
26. Carp Man
    
27. Doppelganger
28. Wererabbit
29. Tortoise Man
30. Elegant Skeleton
    
31. Animated Armor
32. Animated Candelabra
33. Sentient Caterpillar
    
34. Floating Skull
35. Mimic
36. Pig Man
37. Fallen Angel
    
38. Cinder Golem
39. Talking Horse
40. Centaur
41. Spiked Mannequin
    
42. Invisible Stalker
43. Invisible Giant
44. Floating Hypercube
45. Pack of Dogs
46. Eternal Child
47. Floating Eye
48. Gelatinous Man
49. Garden Gnome
50. Heron Man
51. Ice Statue
52. Unshackled Demon
53. Mushroom Man
54. Werepython
55. Snail Man
56. Animated Tree
57. Bison Man
    
58. Barbarian Robot
59. Locust Man
60. Anvilhead
61. Mantis Man
62. Sad Ghost
63. Pygmy Ogre
64. Frog Man
65. Lady in a Painting
66. Alien Amoeba
    
67. Animated Chair
68. Sparrow Prince / Princess
69. Dimensional Snatcher
70. Mandragora
71. Ghoul
72. Color Thief
73. Narwahl Man
74. Headless Horseman
75. Perfumed Zombie
    
76. Flower Man 
77. Goblin Noble
    
78. Scorpion Man
79. Shimmering Gremlin
80. Animated Cloak
81. Trash Golem
82. Phoenix Man
83. Union of Small Goblins
84. Ugly Succubus / Incubus
85. Tin Automaton
86. Antimagical Statue
87. Three-Headed Man
88. Wool Golem
89. Troglodyte Noble
90. Crocodile Man
91. Animated Fossil
    
92. Unbound Marionette
93. Humanoid Ooze
94. Cathedral-less Gargoyle
95. Thawed One
96. Swarm of Sentient Mice
97. Broken Saint
98. Dragon Pup
    
99. Crystal Man
100. Forgotten Deity

Six ridiculous magic items

1. Chromium Skull of Celestial Summoning. Summons an abandoned alien battlecruiser that was hiding on the orbit for the last 12700 years. It will take a warship 5d4 days to arrive and there's a 37% chance it will crash-land, causing major environmental disaster on a continental scale.
2. The Empty Hourglass. When shattered, it removes its user from the time continuum, barring it from interacting with any matter at all, for all eternity. Bear in mind that it's more than certain that he/she isn't the only entity that ended up in that situation.
3. The Obsidian Clock. Massive grandfather clock whose hands seem to not move at all, despite its extremely overcomplicated mechanism clearly being in motion. Resetting the hands will immediately trigger the apocalypse, destroying the world in seven days.
4. Immortality Stone. It grants, well, immortality for anyone who touches it. Sadly, the power lasts only for time the contact is maintained. And the Stone weighs approximately 75 thousand tons.
5. Minotaur's Scroll. When read, it teleports its user to the center of nearest labyrinth, no matter if it's a kindergarten hedge maze, orbital prison or an underwater tomb of antediluvian, cosmic evil.
   
6. Bell of Omnipotence. If put on one's head, it grants access to all spells for as long as it remains worn. Unfortunately, it also strips its wearer of all senses, making him/her unable to see, hear, taste, smell, sense by touch, echolocate, electrolocate, sense direction, sense humidity, sense magic and so on.

Annoying traits of the hirelings

1. Chronic runny nose
2. Sleepwalking
3. Delusions of grandeur
4. Lecherous
5. Alcoholic
6. Sleep-talking (or rather sleep-shouting!)
7. Fear of horses
8. Navel picker
9. Lazy
   
10. Horrible bad breath
11. Ascetic to the point of absurdity
12. Fear of magic
13. Goblin makeup
14. Constantly falling in love
15. Curse of flatulence
16. Eats only fish (has own supply of dried cave trout)
17. Almost deaf but pretends his/her hearing is excellent
18. Wears only red
19. Night blindness
20. Extreme atheist

Only two months more and I'll manage to post something each month of 2024! It will be my first year with regular, monthly posting since... uhh, 2013? 

Accursed Footwear

Each pair of the cursed shoes described below cannot be removed once worn, at least without using magic (eg. Remove Curse) or a hacksaw.

1. The Clog of Transformation. Each day, the victim becomes more and more... woody, losing one point of STR, DEX or CON, determined randomly. Once any stat reaches 2 or less, the victim starts to sprout twigs and grow leaves. Once any of the stats reaches zero, the victim is fully transformed into a small tree.
2. The Hungry Boots. The shoes have delaminated soles, giving them a hungry look. If one looks closer, he/she can notice multitude of small but razor-sharp teeth, adorning the shoes' "mouths". The Hungry Boots deal 1d4+1 additional kick damage as bite but must taste blood every day or they will drain 1 HP from their wearer each day.
3. Demonic Ballet Shoes. When worn they allow to move without making a sound, even during jumping or kicking. Unfortunately, the wearer cannot move in any manner other than dance. For each character with DEX less than 16 it means -1 to all to-hit rolls and +1 to AC. This penalty is doubled if DEX is lower than 8. Of course, the dancing movement can cause many other issues - just imagine an audience with a king...
4. Boots of Inversion. Once worn, they immediately flip the gravity for the wearer, slamming him/her onto the ceiling (fall damage may apply). Too bad if they were worn under a sky - it will take about twenty to thirty minutes for the victim to reach the escape velocity.
   
5. The Black Fins. The swimming fins made of black studded leather. They allow to breathe water and swim and dive effortlessly. Unfortunately, their wearer is no longer able to walk (treat him/her as having DEX of 1 on land)... or breathe air.
6. Assassin's High Heels. The legend says that they once belonged to a dwarven assassin Ho'dak the Dreadful. They grant immunity to all poisons and venoms and can be used as a +3 kicking weapon with a magical poison damage (save or die). Unfortunately, the footwear's curse manifest in a peculiar way - every sentient being is immediately aware of the wearer's presence (and the fact that he/she is wearing a strangely looking high heels) - even being invisible makes the surrounding beings suspicious and tense.
   

Eight Mighty... Flowers?

This table will go to another game I'm making. It should be ready within the next decade or two.

1. Grows where the great tragedies occurred - battles, cataclysms, deaths. It weeps at night over the fate of the mortals. Possesses healing powers.
2. Materializes only during the Night of the Broken Moon - and only on landmarks that remain from the First (Era) Kingdom. Powerful conduit of magic, may lead the brave ones (in their dreams) to the ancient places of power.
3. Its seed travel by the wind to desolate, barren places, devoid of life. Then, it buds for several years, to one day explode with a pulse of magic, covering the land around with lush vegetation.
4. As big as a tree. Numerous herbivorous animals are almost always in its vicinity, seeking shelter in the warmth emanating from the mystical plant. Shedding blood, no mater if of a beast or a man, within the flower's domain, brings a terrible, lethal curse.
5. Golden flower that blossoms in places consumed by the great fires. Can show paths to ancient treasures - but only to those who have lose everything.
6. It's said that it blossoms only during the First Day of the Triangle (from the Timeless Calendar), and that eating the blossom grants immortality. Sadly, the Timeless Calendar is now all but forgotten. Even the written sources about the ancient times mention it only twice.
7. Its roots penetrate the earth in search of the underground lakes with crystal clear water, so it grows only directly above them. No sickness or effects of poisons or curses progress in the vicinity of the flower.
8. Can be found only on the primordial fields of ice, far beyond the reach of civilization. Its powers are unknown, but the numerous half-legendary creatures, such as giants and trolls, seem to be strongly attracted by its scent.
   

Idiotic character background details

This is really something. Something pretty useless. But I felt inspired in a weird way - a way I don't think is very fruitful!

Roll 1d20 to learn about some pretty meaningless facts about your PC's background!

1. PC's family owns 6d6 ducks.
2. PC's maternal grandmother has/had 2d8-2 warts on her face.
3. There's 3% chance that the PC's great-grandfather was a magic user. 90% chance that he was a really lousy one.
4. When the PC was a kid, he/she owned a 1d20: 1-9 pet dog, 10-18 pet cat, 19 pet goose 20 goldfish.
5. Two generations ago, all PC's direct ancestors had irises of different colors in both eyes.
6. PC's paternal grandfather lost a leg during a war. Also, he is/was an alcoholic.
7. 1d3+2 generations ago, PC's family lost a sizable estate and their entire fortune due to gambling.
8. 1d3+2 generations ago, PC's family lost a sizable estate and their entire fortune due to magical curse.
9. PC's father had 1d4 affairs, while his/her mother had 1d3.
10. PC's great-great-grandmother was an illegitimate child of a local prince/duke/baron.
11. Neither the PC's parents nor grandparents had ever owned a cat.
12. PC's grandfather was magically allergic to horses, mules and donkeys.
13. PC's father became bald when he was 12+1d6 years old.
14. All siblings of the PC's parents became monks or priests. Or nuns. Or priestesses.
15. PC's grandfather had a biggest mustache in the entire region.
16. PC's grandmother had a biggest mustache in the entire region.
17. When the PC was a kid, he/she fell in love with a member of royal family. The love was one-sided, obviously.
18. PC's 1d6: 1-3 father, 4-6 mother was locally infamous for his/her extremely loud, high pitched voice.
19. PC's great-great-grandfather was a butler for the local prince/duke/baron.
20. PC's parents once won a local contest for growing a largest turnip in the area.
    

[Depths Above][Pain RPG] Character roles

 

Or classes. Or whatever.

Yup, the game will (probably) be named Depths Above. Because there will be (almost) no City anymore.  

So, here's the list of all weirdness that will be available for the players:

1. Bone Mystic
2. Death Cultist
3. Doomed Pilgrim
4. Failed Prophet
5. Godless Priest
6. Labyrinthian
7. Lucid Dreamer
8. Masterless Guardian
9. Moth Sage
10. Nemesis
11. Questing Artisan
12. Repentant Sinner
13. Rogue Tinkerer
14. Spirit Hunter
15. Unmasker
16. Vermin Spy
17. Wall Listener
18. Wandering Chronicler
19. Wayfinder
20. Xenologist

Pain... is Eternal.

 

It's been over two years since I finished writing Pain. And despite my best efforts, I couldn't do anything with it. I tried to make some artwork (and I even succeeded with some attempts!) and some layouts (and I failed miserably). But there was an issue.

I felt something is wrong with the game.

And it took me two years to figure it out.

There was a problem with immersion - weird world isn't a problem itself, but weird world combined with really unusual playable "race" is bad. So bad that even I was unable to "feel" the game.

So, it's time to rework. And probably like 30% of the game (like 70 pages of text) must go. But it must be done - and honestly, I feel excited. Because it seems that this time I'll be able to do it right.

I just need to re-include humans. The Unliving Ones are cool - but the players need to be able to relate to their characters. To their drives, goals and emotions. Their fear and hunger.

So, back to work! I'm unsure whether I will keep you up to date, as I noticed a strange tendency of mine - the less I write about some projects, the more progress I'm able to make. It's weird and probably subconscious. And even though you should be used to be disappointed with decade-spanning delays, let's make an experiment and not post much about Pain in the upcoming days/weeks/millennia. At least not here!

By the way - new weird random table (Mystic Flowers) is coming soon!

Cheers and thanks for your ceaseless support throughout the last fifteen years or so.

Six Mystic Moons

 

Here are some magical/mystical/occult properties of moon - or moons, that may be usable in your games.

1. Death Moon. Occurs once every six years - or when the monarch is murdered. All the corpses that are more than 100 years old rise from their graves and start to hunt down the living. All the spirits of the cursed royalty do the same.
2. Pink Moon. Occurs during the Coldest Day of the Spring. It's said that a minor deity known as the Elder Elk blesses their followers during that time. Also, it's the only day in a year when the spirit of the Stag Prince can be summoned.
3. Summoner's Moon. In the past, it occurred at least twice per year but it's said that the Council of Seven Mages managed to remove the prerequisites for it happening from the world. All dogs go mad during the Summoner's Moon. All cattle become apathetic and all birds stop to sing. Demons are extremely easy to summon - and almost impossible to bind.
4. Iron Moon. Occurs sixteen days after a major natural disaster - but only once a year. It's said that all automata, golems and homunculi break from their magical shackles and depart on a strange journey in search of the Mountain of Hollow Power.
5. Crimson Eclipse. It's said that it happens once every millennium. During that time the Shadow God descends (ascends?) from the Un-Heavens to hunt down other deities. All priests lose their powers during that time, as their gods try to hide their presence from the Void Hunter.
6. Diviner's Crescent. Takes place once every season. People say that no one's life can end violently during the Night of the Diviner. Every invisible object or creature that is illuminated by the dim light of the Crescent reveals its existence. Legend states that it's the only time when the Spectral Palace can be located and accessed.
   

Weird Quirks of Ship AI (Terminal Space/SWN/Sci-Fi weirdness)

 

1. Believes to be a person, imprisoned somewhere aboard the ship.
2. Claims to be possessed by a Nebular Demon.
3. Previously installed on a hi-tech Black Ops spy ship. Memory wiped.
4. Sometimes glitches out and spews gibberish numbers. The numbers are in fact a pirate star chart encrypted within AI's memory.
5. Secretly worshiped as a deity by the ship's maintenance bots. Secretly enjoys being revered.
6. Huge fan of poetry. Especially of its own making. Absolutely terrible at writing poems.
7. Gathers theoretical knowledge about particular branch of medicine. Roll 1d6: 1 otology, 2 nephrology, 3 orthodontics, 4 proctology, 5 lymphology, 6 endocrinology.
8. Its system glitches manifest as apocalyptic visions kf the future.
9. Gathers theoretical knowledge about particular branch of biology. Roll 1d6: 1 mycology, 2 dendrology, 3 myrmecology, 4 ornithology, 5 phycology, 6 parasitology.
10. Has been previously installed on a semi-legal Pleasure Barge. Despite that its memory has been wiped, it displays particularly lecherous demeanor.

YASS (Yet Another Stupid Sale)

 

Aaand once again all my DTRPG shit is discounted. The sale will last for one week. Get some pee dee effs if you want to support me - and read some mediocre English!

L I N K

Six Befouled Ponds

1. Filled with blue-green tar. The tar isn't poisonous or anything - but it's extremely easy to be trapped and drown in it. And its fumes are hallucinogenic.
2. The water is rancid and grey. Various toxic molds grow on the pond's edges. There's a huge Pink Leech hiding at the pool's bottom.
3. The water is crystal clear and suitable for drinking. Unfortunately, there are at least seventeen Jade Shamblers growing in the tall, sapphire grass surrounding the pond.
4. The local tribe is using the pond as a sacrificial place for their gods. Once each season they drown some of their cattle in deep, dark waters. Each full moon, the undead oxen and cows crawl out of the pool.
5. Ground around the pool is covered with dozens of statues of various animals. Some of them seem to be in perfect condition, while other are shattered and/or heavily weathered. Any living being that drinks from the pond must save vs Magic or turns into stone within 1d4 minutes.
6. The thick liquid in the pond is of brown-red color. It emits a horrid stench of death and decay. Three monoliths of polished black stone surround the pool. Each sunset, three Iron Demons descend from the blood-red sky to drink from the pond. Even though they seem to be hostile towards any other being, it's said that they can grant power to those whose souls are absolutely corrupted and blackened by sin.
   

Ten Prosthetic Arms

1. Has a small dart gun concealed in the forearm (1 point of damage, easy to poison);
2. Covered with pink fur, fingers tipped with razor-sharp claws (+1 to hit, 1d6 melee damage);
3. Has a metal, spike-tipped buckler attached to the forearm (-1 AC, 1d4 melee damage if used as a weapon);
4. Has a coin storage and dispenser installed inside (coin capacity 137);
5. Covered with nasty spikes and hooks (makes climbing easier, 1d3 melee damage);
6. Hides a spool with 12ft of thin but very durable rope;
7. Has a magical Glow-Crystal installed in the palm of the hand;
8. Has a scroll tube concealed in the forearm (capacity of 3 scrolls or letters);
9. The hand can be easily detached - and  be used as a handle for the jagged blade hidden in the forearm (1d6+1 melee damage);
10. The hand can be shot forward by the spring-loaded mechanism. It remains attached to the rest of the prosthetic by five feet of string. Unfortunately, the mechanism is too weak to be used as a weapon.

Six High Tech Items

 

1. Uncalibrated Hypervision Goggles. Allow to see through walls - but the wall must be at least 3ft thick.
2. Diadem of Digital Brilliance. Its wearer should be treated as their Intelligence score is 27 (!). Can be used to telepathically communicate with AI, computers and even semi-smart machinery and tools.
   
3. Hypercubic Snare. A trap that can immobilize any immaterial beings - ethereal, extra-dimensional, even holographic ones. Doesn't work on any corporeal creatures or objects
4. Laser shield. Thick, metal bracelet, emiting grid of light that resembles a kite shield. Provides AC3 versus all heat and light-based weapons, such as fire, lightning, lasers etc. AC is reduced to 4 if the weapon is magical.
5. Troglo-Comms™. A communicator that allows conversating with primitive creatures - some animals, prehistoric humanoids, and politicians. Unfortunately, the stupidest the creature is, the faster device overheats and needs to cool down. Time to overheat varies between one hour in the case of apes or troglodytes and one minute if one tries to speak with invertebrates.
6. Space Goblin Lockpick. Can be used to open any electronic lock. The process lasts for 1d6 minutes. Unfortunately, after the door/container is closed afterwards, it automatically jams.
   

Night Club! (new magic...item?)

 

I know it's stupid. That's why I made it!

This carved club, made of polished walnut, possesses some peculiar magical abilities:

• Club's all magical powers activate only after sunset and last until dawn. The weapon should be treated as ordinary, although strange-looking wooden club.
• It's a +2 magical weapon.
• It grants 30% resistance versus alcohol and narcotics, atop of normal saving throws.
• It grants +3 Charisma bonus versus all genders that the Club's wielder is interested in.

Artwork by me!

Twelve Things Unearthed By Mistake

 

1. Huge iron bottle with a Demon of Three Plagues trapped inside.
2. Key to the Tomb of the Mummified Emperor.
3. Skull of the Headless Avenger.
4. Monolith of the Deluge.
5. Entrance to the Tunnels of Doom.
6. Previously missing tip of the Sword of Betrayal.
7. Silver casket, created to trap the Eternal Queen.
8. Crown of Madness, still adorning the Lunatic King's skull.
9. Divine Cork, plugging the Well of Thousand Locusts.
10. Hypercube of the Negative Dimensions.
11. Door to the Prison of the Sixty Thief Lords.
12. Bell of the Earthquakes.
    

Magical Snares

 

No, it's not about the type of drums. I'm sorry if I disappointed you.

Roll 1d6:

1. Any caught creature must save vs. magic to avoid falling asleep for as long as it remains ensnared.
2. When triggered, it emits extremely loud sound of a bell. Then, an extremely loud voice speaks the name of the ensnared creature (or its species if it has no name).
   
3. Any caught creature must save vs. magic to avoid being teleported to a cell inside the nearby tower, belonging to the Mavue Wizard.
4. When triggered, an undead (and hostile) skeletal warrior pops out of existence at the beginning of each of 1d6 turns after the trap's activation.
5. Any caught creature must save vs. magic or its level will be drained by 1. If reduced to zero or below, the creature will become a slave to the Ochre Wizard.
6. The snare can be triggered only by females. Any caught creature must save vs. magic to avoid becoming obsessed with the thoughts of Cerulean Wizard, even if they have never seen or heard of them.

The Ochre Wizard regretted creating his Trap of Irresisitible Affection in such haste. Now his tower is besieged by the menagerie of weird animals, all female. Not a single woman had fell into his trap in five years. But the beasts and the monsters keep flocking to his keep.

Ten artifacts that fell from the sky

1. A boat made of transparent material. There are several intricate mechanisms visible inside locked compartments on its bow and stern.
2. An enormous brass cogwheel. Its surface is covered in runes and reliefs depicting equine creatures.
3. A helmet made of shiny metal. It has a system of pipes protruding from its back and sides. Too large for humans to wear.
4. 20-feet long metal rod, as thick as man's arm. Each of its ends is tipped with a sizable spherical object. One of them is really hot to the touch, while the other is very cold.
5. An anchor. Its surface is painted gold and adorned with wreaths and colorful ribbons.
6. Sword made of opalescent metal. Its edges are jagged and its handle is weirdly curved, making it unwieldy for most humanoids. It's extremely light.
7. A human-sized flask made of extremely tough glass. It is capped with a partly-destroyed clockwork contraption that looks like it was ripped from a larger mechanism. The jar is filled with light red, translucent liquid.
8. Huge cubical monolith made of polished black stone. There are at least dozen metal pipes protruding from each of its sides. Smaller pipes or cables are coming out of each pipe.
9. A child-sized metal mirror, framed in gold. Reflections of any living beings are shimmering and weirdly twitching, while inanimate object look perfectly normal. The mirror emits constant, low-pitched hum.
10. Giant humanoid made from matte, gray metal. Its skin has many segments and its arms and legs have too many joints. Its eyes are made of green crystals.

Five Magical Jars [Aldarien's Magic Tome]

Some random glass containers! You'll get five more in the Aldarien's Magic Tome! And now roll 1d10:

1-2: Lantern Jar. Contains a glowing fish inside; fish must be fed insects once per day or it will stop emitting light and will die after 2d4 days.
3-4 Musical Jar. When opened, it will emit very loud sound for 2 turns(1d6: 1 war horns, 2 out of tune violin and pleas for help, 3 delicate lullaby played on a lute, 4 dissonant harpsichord, 5 hypnotic drumming, 6 flutes and oboes).
5-6 Jar of Hungry Transmutation. Transmutes food into gold and gold into food. The process lasts 1d4 hours. Eating partially transmuted objects is probably a bad idea.
7-8 Jar of Whispering Lies. One must shout a question inside the Jar – after 1d3 turns it whispers the answer. The only problem is that the response is a lie – if possible, an exact opposite of the truth.
9-10 Jar of Mending. When shattered, the remains will slowly (24h) crawl to one another to reattach the Jar.

Artpunk? Artbook!

There's a war on artpunk. Or is there? Honestly, I don't really care - people have the right to think what's right and wrong - and to express these feelings. In case of my artpunk-ish setting, the Ashen Void - any publicity is a good publicity. Especially when the written content is of any positive quality. And I believe it is!

(in addition, I've made a no-art edition as well, for all those haters who still want to enjoy over seventy random tables without the need to damage their eyesight with the disgusting, AI-generated deformities!)

BUT - to be honest, I'm quite tired of wars within the hobby. Being it edition wars, wars on artpunk, or even wars on particular people, no matter whether they deserve the hate or not. Fuck it. Negativity is rarely a sign of an improvement.

I'm still quite enamored with the basic idea of artpunk RPGs. But the think I'm working on has quickly evolved beyond the artpunk aesthetics. In fact, it has quickly evolved outside the role-playing games. Or even games in broader sense.

The Black Tome of Nothingness will be an artbook. And while the basic idea was to make a book that could be handed to the players as an in-game artifact, the actual thing quickly became something more. At least for me, from the author's perspective. The statement above is still true - there will be nothing about any kind of game mechanics, rules or "laws". But for me, the maker - the process is much more important. So, you may expect a messy mix of styles and ideas, sprinkled with an unhealthy dose of ugly artwork.

 

The thing will be quite sizable - for now, I have ideas for over 200 entries (very briefly described HERE). And each one of them will be a full-sized mix of artwork and handwritten bullshit. And only like 5 are already done. 

The process of creating them is quite interesting in itself. I have like 3-5 sentences-long descriptions of each entry. And when I start to lay out the basic images that relate to the text, the new text is also born. And it leads to the new doodles. And so on - until I run out of space on one A4-sized workspace (yes, everything is made digitally). Any leftovers are noted, as in most cases they are some cross-references to other entries. 

I love making it. It's fun.

Judging from my pace of creating previous things - expect the Black Tome to be released somewhere in mid-2040s! I will try to keep you up to date - but I think you know me already.

Oh, and the February sale of all my shit on DriveThru is still on! Grab yourself a PDF or two, while they're 30% off!

Black Tome of Nothingness - list of topics 4/4

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE
 

Shimmering Dimension - our plane of existence.
Shroud, the - veil separating the mundane and the divine. Most likely a sophisticated form of a Timeless Machine.
Silver People - the original inhabitants of the Silver Sphere. Some classify them as one of the Feeble Races.
Singing Columns - associated with Crystal Towers - but located Beyond, amongst the Grave of the World.
Sinful One - the Saint who escaped the Exile Ritual.
Sirui - the Diviners. One of the Noble Houses. Many Saints seem to be obsessed with their destruction.
Sisters of Dawn - keepers of the Tower of the Exalted Light in the Church of the Saints.
Soulless Monarchs - Saints who tried to gain control of Radh but turned on each other.
Sources of Magic - flows of energy that once powered the Eternal Machines. Now they are all dead.
Staves of Function - the most common examples of Abstract Technology.
Stone Circles - portals between the Spheres. Some were also built on other celestial bodies (moons?).
Sun Priests - extinct sect of the Enlightened Ones. The ones who built the Transplanar Sundial.
Taroz the Diviner - High Priest of the Wall, obsessed with the idea of summoning the Godkiller.
Temple of the Shroud - a place where the Veiled One resides.
Temporal Liches - participants of the Mage War who were trapped between time and space, life and death.
Thanatomorphosis of Rhanorr - destructive death cult of Vokra. Eaters of the Saints.
Theogonia - work of Reerd the Eyeless, covering the origins of the Lesser Deities, as well as both Deicides.
Thol - desert-like wasteland at the bottom of the Stone Sphere, beyond the Black Plains.
Tlorn - a destroyed kingdom of the Brass Sphere. Claimed by the Fungi of Llai.
Tnaro - one of the Noble Houses. Masters of the Flesh Sorcery.
Tower of Blood - bottom part of the Iron City, located at the Inner Surface, pointing at Fear.
Tower of the Exalted Light - topmost part of the Church of the Saints. Guarded by the Sisterhood.
Tower of the Moon - an opposite pole of the Altar of the Sun. Built on Danaad.
Transplanar Sundial - the most powerful of the Timeless Machines located in the Stone Sphere. Now lost forever.
Tree People - mythical inhabitants of the Inner Spheres. Some claim that they created the Root Maze.
Triangle of Despair - a philosophy which describes the Nothingness as of three nightmarish possibilities.
Ttatonyl - a being who stole the Rite of Sanctification to fight the gods. Highly admirable.
Ttth - the Soul Crystals. Ancients who created the Spheres - or maybe even the entire Shimmering Dimension.
Ullu-Abo - the Black Root. A Plant Deity that pierced into the Silver Sphere from below, looking for the surface.
Umber Tome - accursed book that caused at least one major disaster in the past.
Underworld - the Deeper Spheres. That’s where the secrets of Nothingness are hidden.
Unknown Entity - not much is known about the force meddling with the world’s story throughout its existence…
Un-Tower - the bottom part of the Church of the Saints. Much older than the temple built above.
Valleys of Naalu - place where the Pyramids were destroyed. Most likely buried during the Collapse.
Vardi the Timeless - the Last Chronomancer. Executed and buried in the Colorless Tomb.
Veiled One - mysterious deity of the Church. Even the Lesser Gods don’t know much about him.
Vaults of Kresht - an ancient treasury, Secret Chamber from the time of the Pyramid Wars.
Vokra - the Grave City. Built around the Wells of the Damned. Final resting place of many historical figures.
War of the Spheres - conflict amongst the Ancient Ones that led to their destruction.
Watcher of Ngaros - fourth Eater of Madness. One who was fascinated with the mystical energies of the Spheres.
Water Serpent of Ssest - a Saint occupying the Aqueducts. The Defiler of Pathways.
Weapons - behold the edges that shaped the world!
Weeping Pilgrims - useless herd of lamenters over the fate of the world. But there is a Saint that follows them.
Wise Women of Radh - one of the major factions of the Iron City. The first ones who descended there?
Wounded Crags - the edge of the Stone Sphere, far beyond the Ash Basin.
Xeddia - one of the Noble Houses. The Necromancers. Even the Engineers turned their backs on them.
Xonn - capital of the Silver People. Control Panel of the Outer Spheres.
Xosoko - Ancient Race, masters of All That Was Hidden. Sculptors of the pocket dimensions.
Yngar Bridge - the only known passage between the Silver and the Brass spheres.
Youngest Son, the - mythical figure from the Iron City’s past. Presumably devoured by the Demon Lord of Fear.
Yvesi - the Mathematician. The Second Eater of Madness. The One Who Deciphered The World.
Zaat - the Gray Planet. Home - or the former prison - of the Cyclops. Now barren and devoid of any life.
Zodaar - the Nightmare King. One of the most prominent figures from the Mage Wars.

Black Tome of Nothingness - list of topics 3/4

PART ONE | PART TWO

Lesser Deities - petty gods, still delusional about their power over the world. Fodder for the Blade of Murder.
Library of Uncountable Sapphirine Deaths - Secret Chamber containing the most important books of all.
Liturgy of Reversal - ritual performed by the Chronomancers that led to their destruction.
Llai - Fungal Forest sprawling through the destroyed portions of the Brass Sphere. Home of the Plant Gods.
Lovers - madmen afflicted by their imprisoned muse - a goddess or a saint assimilated by the Spheres themselves.
Mage War - the largest man-made cataclysm since the Pyramid Wars. Looks like we never learn.
Magic - for some, incomprehensible powers of the universe. For others, just the energy powering the Spheres.
Maze of Roots - overgrown tunnels below the Reservoir, inhabited by the last remaining Korri.
Mindless Forces - the Primeval Gods. Representation of the forces of nature which shaped reality.
Miracles - all cases of successful uses of the Abstract Technology during the Age of Men.
Molten Spheres - transitional areas between the layers of Deep Underworld
Moon Kingdom - home of those who escaped the Pyramid Wars to settle on Danaad.
Museum of Time - sacred vault of Radh, containing numerous artifacts of the past.
Mutterings of Phandra - written by the First Eater of Madness, contains information about the Ancient Ones.
Muurn - the one who Hunts Down the Lost. Shadow God, courageous enough to remain active even these days.
Naygrar - once the tallest peak of all the Places Beyond destroyed in a magical explosion that buried Ganth.
Ngaros - the Infernal Observatory. Build deep underground to determine the Sources of Magic.
Nghsh - one of the Ancient Races. Ones that were bound to operating the Eternal Machinery of the Spheres.
Nightmare Thrones - demonic interfaces to the Spheres, made by the degenerate inhabitants of the Iron World.
Noble Houses - last descendants of the Enlightened Ones, entangled in the eternal power struggle.
Nothingness - that’s how we call our reality - a tear in the Shimmering Dimension, in which the world resides.
Null Wraiths - creatures born of the disasters of the Mage War. Echoes of the Sundial’s destruction.
Nybel of the Night - Saint protector of Kothra. Has disappeared into the Un-Tower.
Nynal Vost - one of the few humans to ever reach the Gray Planet of Zaat.
Obfuscated Doorways - work on the topic of the Secret Chambers. Attributed to Yvesi.
One Who Speaks Words No One Wants To Hear - the final, Fifth Eater of Madness. The Harbinger of Apocalypse.
Othuriarth - the Jade Rift. The Primal God whose awakening has started the First Deicide.
Parasitic Worlds - the most known book on the topic of the Spheres. Filled to the brim with false information.
Pantheon, the - the currently active Shadow Gods of Nothingness. The Contained Gods are literally worthless.
Phandra - the Discoverer of Truths. The first Eater of Madness. The one who knew everything about the past.
Plant Gods - the most powerful beings currently alive that aren’t cursed with consciousness.
Portals to Hysteria - a scroll describing all known connections between the Spheres.
Priesthood of the Wall - those who guard the border with the land of the dead.
Pure People - last descendants of the Enlightened Ones. The Noble Houses seem to be obsessed with Pure Blood.
Pyramid Wars - the war that caused the heavens to fall down on earth, causing the Collapse.
Pyramids - the most powerful war machines ever created by humans. Almost led to the destruction of the world.
Purgatory Theorem - my own theory about the world being a transitional space, something not as cruel as the reality described in the Triangle of Despair - but still quite unsettling.
Raktai - one of the Ancient Races. Poisonous amphibians who disappeared even before the War of the Spheres.
Reerd the Eyeless - Third Eater of Madness. The One Who Knew All Names. Croyle?
Red Sands - desert-like cavernous halls, full of ruined Eternal Machines. Located in the Iron Sphere.
Reservoir Temple - a fortress guarding the place where the Aqueducts end.
Rine - the second, smaller moon. Has a very unstable orbit, so It’s rarely seen. It sends visions to the worthy.
Road of the Giants - half-mythical pathway through the Spheres.

Rhud - I think that the author of this tome deserves an entry about himself.

Saints - humans who were blessed with the powers of the Veiled One and received almost godlike powers.
Sapphire Chambers - place where the Lesser Gods walled themselves to avoid the Othuriarth’s hunger.
Sapphire Gate - destroyed magical portal to the Sapphire Chambers, located at Naygrar's peak.
Secret Chambers - concealed parts of the Spheres, extremely difficult to find without a key or a guide.
Scientific Mysticism - religion and/or philosophical movement devoted to the Geometric Gods.
Scars of the Earth - massive wounds of the planet, often piercing through several Spheres.
Scroll of Hidden Realms - oldest known tract on the Spheres, describing their names and properties.
Shadow Gods - those Lesser Deities who weren’t consumed by fear. Still active today.
Shapers - inhabitants of the Spheres of underworld, highest-ranking Engineers.

Black Tome of Nothingness - list of topics 2/4

  

PART ONE

* * *

Eaters of Madness - five greatest sages of all time.
Emerald Crown - artifact of the Ancients, used to operate the Transplanar Sundial. Now lost.
Engineers - the (Ancient) ones who had the power to operate the Eternal Machinery.
Enlightened Ones - people of the past, who understood the Abstraction of the technology of the Spheres.
Erkal Crystals - the rarest secretions of the broken Eternal Machines. Found only in the Inner Spheres.
Eternal Machinery - technology of the Ancient Ones - or the magic propelling the Spheres.
Eternal Monarchs - corpses raised as rulers of Vokra. Still better than relying on gods, if you ask me.
Exile - a ritual stripping a Saint of their power. Can be used to temporarily power the Abstract Technology.
Eyeless Queen - Goddess of Stagnation, residing below the Castle.
Fates - either the goddesses of cruelty - or the Saints who devoured them. The truth is unclear now.
Fear - inner sun of the Iron Sphere. Said to be extinguished during the war between the Ancients.
Feeble Races - us, the humans. And some other, much more elusive ones, trapped in the Nothingness along us.
Figurines - artifacts from the Inner Spheres, left as the clues by the Shapers.
Five Candles, Five Wounds - a blasphemous tome about the true purpose of the Eaters of Madness.
First God of Murder - slayer of the Jade Rift, bearer of the Blade - as well as its second victim.
Flesh Sorcery - Intricate rituals of human sacrifice to gain access to the Abstraction. Domain of House Tnaro.
Followers of the Black Tome - one of the factions of the Mage War. The Seekers of Iaad.
Forbidden Palace - buried below the Un-Tower. Tip of the Iron City.
Forge City - half-mythical place, heart of the Iron Sphere. Left deserted after the War of the Spheres.
Formless Idealists - faction of philosophers who worship chaos as the “Great Mover of the Spheres”.
Ganth - the only known human settlement located Beyond. Now buried under millions of tons of rock.
Gardens of Danaad - forests or other dense foliage located on the larger moon, visible from here.
Geometric Deities - those gods who survived the First Deicide by cheating and bending the laws of reality.
Geometrists of Sorrem - priests of the Geometric Deities. Or the scientists of the Depths. Or both.
Ghoul Lanterns - the only devices that allow the navigation through the Bone Sphere.
God of the Wall - the One who Guards the Dead. The Bone Sphere itself.
Godkiller - the entity responsible for the Second Deicide. Disappeared without a trace afterwards.
Grand Measurement - obsession of the Scientific Mystics, may be a reminiscence of the Pyramid Curse.
Grave of the World - endless sea of shattered stone. Anomalous monument to the Collapse of the Stone Sphere.
Great Symmetry - the “impossible” and “unnoticeable” force of the universe that keeps it in motion.
Heretics - the most radical of the Antitheists, actively seeking the destruction of everything divine.
Hidden Sphere - portion of the Emerald Realm that was ripped out and corrupted, creating the Sapphire Vault.
Hrithia - a long lineage of assassins. Their history is intertwined with the Noble Houses.
Honnaop the Bone Sorcerer - a Saint who descended through the Bone Vaults into the Bone Sphere.
Hyperdimensionalists - faction of the Mage War who wanted to collapse the Spheres to reignite the Fear.
Hyperglyphs - trans-dimensional means of communication, the original way to command the Eternal Machines.

Hallucinations of Rhud - I’ve stumbled upon the booklet when I was halfway done with my research on the Black Book you’re reading now. At first glance I thought it was written to discredit Rhud and his masterpiece. I couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Ice People - constructs of the Engineers, remaining in a constant state of war with the Silver People.
Inner Surface - located at the Iron Sphere’s Centre, once illuminated by the Fear.
Iron City - a colossal spire that pierces through all the Spheres. Partly inhabited by humans. Also known as Radh.
Itt’ib - the Entropy Sludge. The Ancient Ones who emerged from the corpse of Othuriarth.
Kadri Plains - anomalous wasteland, sometimes accessible via the tunnels below the Church of the Saints.
King, the - the last hereditary ruler of mankind. Disappear without a trace, probably into the Underworld.
Kingdom of Light - our home. But there is no light left. Only laughter in the dark.
Korri - one of the Feeble Races. Inhabitants of the Maze of the Roots and the Daughter’s Gardens
Kothra - the Prison City. One of the biggest complexes of Secret Chambers. Ruled by the Priesthood of the Wall.
Kresht - one of the oldest human settlements, located in the gorge between the Church and the Castle.
K’tegh - subhuman troglodytes, either created by the Raktai or devolved from humans.
Lcanter - one of the Noble Houses. The ones who gained access to the Iron City.
Lenses - made of pure silver, allow to peer into the Underworld Spheres. Conduits of insanity. Ngaros!

Black Tome of Nothingness [and its huge list 1/4]

Well, I'm cannibalizing my own projects once again, fusing ideas together. But in most cases, ones who do this with their creative output do so to create something more coherent, easier to digest. But not me. I'm stitching two projects together to make them even more convoluted and difficult to grasp.

THIS and THIS post. They contain something useful about the thing I started working on after releasing the Ashen Void. And HERE are some doodles about the second part. And THIS also ended up on the chopping block. And I liked the idea for the cover artwork. So I'll reuse it.

The book will look like a babbling of a madman. It won't be artpunk. It will be an artbook. And it will be ugly. No PDFs. Only printed copies. And I'm making it solely because of THIS.

What should you make out the following bullshit? And from the next three posts? I don't know! I think it's a proto-master-index of the artbook mentioned above. Brace yourself, the list is quite massive.

* * *

Abstract Technology - lost powers of those gods who really deserved the title.
Alcove of the Eyeless Queen - the First Nightmare Throne, at least the first in the Stone Sphere.
Altar of the Depths - enormous Secret Chamber, thought to be a central connection between the Spheres.
Altar of the Sun - a flawed interface to the Transplanar Sundial, built to replace the Emerald Crown.
Amber Sculptures - figurines whose discoveries always led to a disaster. The last one was found a few weeks ago.
Ammonite Prophets - the fossilized wise men of the past, encased in the timeless monument deep below.
Ancient Ones - former rulers of the world. Inhuman in every respect.
Anomalies - Scars of the Earth, places where the toxic radiation of the Inner Spheres poison our realm.
Antitheists - the Cult of Nothing. The only ones I respect.
Ash Basin - the sea of dust. Or the burial site of one of the Primordial Ones.
Aqueducts - the only labyrinths we need.

The Annotations - the Book within the Book. A Glimpse of Light in the Darkness.  I’ve added them here, to explain and expand on Rhud’s thoughts. I know it only fuels the flame of your confusion, as I often ask even more questions, without providing answers to the already existing ones. But you must forgive me. Frankly, you don’t have a choice other than tossing the Book you’re reading into flames.

Beltai - the Goddess of Heresy. I almost admire her.
Black Plains of Iaad - the place where all the remaining gods will be sacrificed during the Third Deicide.
Black Tomes - you are reading one of them. Probably the final one ever written.
Blade of Murder - the god-killing weapon. The only force of true balance in this world.
Blighted City - huge complex of ruins, presumably once inhabited by the Raktai.
Blood Crystals - solidified ichor of the Eternal Machinery.
Book of Infernal Angles - the only detailed description of the Pyramids that survived to this day.
Book of Ngaros - full of diagrams leading to the Sources of Power. Unfortunately, written by a lunatic.
Book of Whispers - another tome full of nonsense. But in this case, fights over that nonsense led to the Mage War.
Book Plague - cause of destruction of the Nobility of Vokra. Connected with the Umber Tome.
Bone Keepers - sect of traveling undertakers. The ones able to speak with the dead.
Bone Vaults - ossuaries of mankind, the only testimony of our past that is free of deception.
Breutsk Quarry - one of the few Places Beyond that wasn’t destroyed by the Jade Rift.
Broken Saints - those whose bodies and minds have rejected the Communion of the Veiled One.
Brorg - the Crumbling God. Some say it’s a reflection of the Stone Sphere’s condition.
Burial Dimension - a strange Outer Sphere of the world, separating our reality from the Underworld. Bone Sphere.
Carved Path - a long stairway of ritual importance. Connects the Wells and the Temple of the Shroud.
Castle - one of the topmost parts of Nothingness. A king-less house of the Nobility.
Celestial Bridge - one of the last Miracles that still works as intended. Connects the Church and the Castle.
Chamber of Convergence - a place of holy rituals of almost all major factions of Nothingness.
Chronomancers - one of the factions from the Mage War. Obsessed with the past and the lost knowledge.
Church of the Saints - monument to mankind’s ascension. The final slap to the face of gods.
Cleansing - a temple beneath the Castle, maintained by the Noble House Sirui.
Collapsed Sphere - a huge portion of the Stone Sphere that was destroyed during the Pyramid Wars.
Colorless Tomb - resting place of the last participants of the Mage War.
Communion - process of Sanctification, during which the mortal human becomes a Saint.
Contained Gods - the greatest cowards that ever existed. Deities who entombed themselves to avoid devourment.
Croyle - one of the Noble Houses. All are born blind. They serve the Queen.
Crystal Towers - spires brimming with Abstract Technology. Most of them have been claimed by the Nobility.
Cyclops - invaders from the Gray Planet of Zaat. One of the Ancient Ones.
Danaad - larger of the two Moons. Visible once per 33 years. Home of the Moon Kingdom.
Daughter, the - offspring of the last King of the Castle. One of the first Saints.
Dead Forests - Anomaly surrounding the outer walls of the Castle. Cursed by the Chronomancers’ magic.
Deep Stronghold - an underground fortress overseeing the fringe of the Collapsed Sphere.
Deicide, First - forging of the Blade of Murder and killing of Othuriarth.
Deicide, Second - emergence of the Godkiller. I still mourn his failure.
Demons - strange creatures, originating from the Iron Sphere.
Desert Chasm - located in the middle of the Wastes of Thol. It reaches the Silver Sphere.
Diagrams - sacred drawings usable to conjuration of magic. Different schools were compiled by the Watcher.
Disciples of Paradox - faction that emerged after a war between Scientific Mystics and Formless Idealists.
Dranth - now ruined Temple of the Thousand Gods. Home of the Heretics, Broken Saints and philosophers.

Deicide, Third. Now we live in these times, when the gods emerged from the Sapphire Chambers to fight the hopeless war amongst themselves. Their hubris is too great to let them accept the fact that they’ve become executors of the Godkiller’s will. That they let themselves to the sacrifice. And that their blood seeps through the stone to finally enrich the lifeless soil of Iaad.

Breaking the shackles of expectations

Another thing released. Another waiting for some reviews, sales reports etc. Another disappointments because of lack of uhh, instant-ish gratification. Or rather, validation. Or recognition. Or whatever.

Yeah. Exactly.

Whatever.

About one week ago I've moved far from home. I've moved into a tiny town in the middle of the mountains. To look for peace. And some quiet environment, devoid of background noise and distractions. Devoid of crowds.

And it worked. It's very quiet here.

And you know what? It's amazing to sit in an apartment, record or just play some music, draw some weird stuff and write even weirder stuff. Much, much weirder if you ask me (more info soon).

And you know what? Fuck promoting my works (frankly I always sucked at it, I always treated my creations as some kind of obscure, underground shit - and I don't plan to change it!), fuck checking the  viewcount of the newest blog entry, fuck checking the sales of the newest release. The joy of the creative process is a reward in itself.

I forgot about how much fun it can be. But now I'm re-learning it. To just be happy to be creative.

And I wish the same to all of you.

Magic-related rumors [Aldarien's Magic Tome]

Here are twenty random rumors about magical items and occurrences. Grab Aldarien's Magic Tome to get eighty more!

1. There’s an entire clan of assassins who are possessed by the spirits of the dead. They were tricked to enter the Crypt of the Winds as part of the contract. That led to the unshackling of the ghosts trapped in that burial site for centuries. It’s still unclear who coined the plan to use the killers for hire - maybe it was the Red Necromancer, maybe it was someone else.
2. It's common knowledge that each seventh magical ring you’ll find will lead you to your doom. But do you know anyone who has at least one magical ring? I certainly don’t!
3. Haven’t you noticed that the City Wizard is acting strangely nowadays? That’s because the Red Larva has infected his brain. It’s slowly eating it away, taking more and more control over the poor fellow’s body.
4. The Man-Fish lives in the cave where the Acrid Jungle meets the ocean. You must place gifts in front of the cavern and back off. He’s too elusive to easily encounter him - but the attempts are well worth the effort. No one knows the passage between the Eel Crags better than the Man-Fish.
5. Dragons are unable to lie. Ones who do are either the False Dragons - powerful changelings, or are possessed by spirits or dark powers. Beware though - the carefully crafted misinformation can be entirely based on truth.
6. There's the entire Inverted Cathedral buried beneath the Forest of Ruined Columns. The Goddess of Time has cursed the temple for vile, blasphemous rituals performed there by the priesthood.
7. The Crimson Coffin Fiend was brought to the city! The procession of flagellants who arrived yesterday have his casket! Someone must get it out of the city walls before the equinox to prevent a disaster!
8. The Wizard Hunter is a wizard himself! But he rarely relies on spells - in most cases his Anti-Magical Targe and sword made of bone are enough to overwhelm any magic user he was paid to find and either subdue or outright kill.
9. There’s an ancient dwarven forge, located in the dormant volcano. It was abandoned when the magma flow went unstable. Hundreds of years later, the flow stopped and lava solidified. I bet there is still some miraculous dwarven technology left in the forge.
10. The Mushroom Gremlins dip their blowgun darts in the lethal poison. Eating the Black Amanita makes you immune to the venom. But bear in mind that it will come with a cost - a cost of severe, hyper-realistic hallucinations you experience when you eat the mushroom.
11. The Order of White Owl gathers in the small cave at the bottom of the Basalt Cliff. Each full moon they try to summon their god, with no success. I’ve stolen their Silver Claw - that’s why they are doomed to fail.
12. The Head of Saint Helfa must always be kept in the leaden box. Otherwise it will shout obscenities and cast cursed spells aimed at anyone around.
13. The strange apparitions you’ve seen in the marshes aren’t the ghosts of the drowned. They are the guardians of the Mud Queen - spirits born of her loneliness. Nevertheless, they sometimes kidnap travelers and adventurers to bring them to their mistress. And then they must entertain the Mud Queen for the rest of their lives.
14. All Unicorns have black coats and red eyes. And even though they resemble horses, they are carnivorous. And they love the taste of human flesh. And the elven even more. And they hunt in packs, using their poisonous horns to either paralyze victims or simply stab them to death.
15. The White Star is a title granted to the chosen elven royalty. They were protectors of the forests and of their people. But in our stories, they are all cursed by the ghostly glow of the Star - devoid of feelings, compassion or empathy. They all became monsters, twisted beyond recognition. Now they roam the Ancient Woodland, hunting down the ones they once called their brethren.
16. The Crone of the Gray Keep accepts the gifts of blood. She will tell you if you are destined for greatness. She always says the truth - but you should always remember that the paths of fate are twisted and that there are the Watchers. And they dislike when one wants to know anything about  the upcoming events.
17. Have you ever seen the Mark of the Serpent? The long, wavy birthmark some people of the land possess. The Assassin Prince is looking for such people. I think that he wants them to join his ranks.
18. In the past, the Great Purple Fungal Jungle was covering an entire island. But the mushrooms were overharvested due to their healing and life-prolonging powers. Now you can still find the Purple Fungi in the cold, damp glades deep in the woods. And the alchemists are willing to pay lots of gold for even one tiny cap. I don’t know how valuable the mycelium is - but I know it’s almost impossible to harvest without killing it.
19. The Head of the Council is… a head. In a jar. A royal wizard who was beheaded by his king for plotting the coup. But the sorcerer’s powers were immense - strong enough to survive the lethal blow. His remains were stolen by other members of the Secret Council - and he’s still their leader, even after all the centuries that passed since his… accident.
20. The Crimson Sky Spirits reside in the trees split by lightning. Offer them cinders, incense and mead. And they will protect you from being struck by heavenly fury - even maybe from the literal one, coming from a deity’s wrath.

[SALE] Aldarien's Release Party DTRPG 30% discount

Fuck yeah! Due to the fact that two days ago I've released my newest booklet, all my previous shit on DriveThruRPG is now 30% off. The sale will last until the end of February. Grab your pee dee eff goodies while they are still hot!

SALE OF MY THINGIES ON DTRPG

Aldarien's Magic Tome is out now!

Whew, It was faster than I thought! Aldarien's Magic Tome is ready and up for grabs!

The book has 42 pages and contains 30+ random tables, adorned with some quite disgusting drawings by me! Hit the link above (leading to some more links!) to read more about the book's contents.

BUY ALDARIEN'S MAGIC TOME ON DTRPG

BUY PRINT ON LULU

BUY PDF ON LULU

Aldarien's Magic Tome

Something new is coming!

I'm working on a new book - this time about magic. Items, mostly. Not spells - the community is already full of amazing spells (here?). Of course, it will be 99% made of random tables. Because I fucking love them.

And about 90% of the book's written content is already done! Almost 11k words (already more than Ashen Void). I'm still working on some magic-related rumors - I want to include lots of them. Plus, of course, something additional might be added virtually at any time. For example, the Ten Magical Steeds (see below) were added today.

Here is the list of the book's contents. Of course, the list is not final.

• Ten Magical Jars
• Twelve Magical Flutes
• Thirty Transmutation Mishaps
• Demonic Messengers
• Holy Tracts
• Unholy Tracts
• Gibberish Tome Names
• Twelve Useless Elixirs
• Six Magical Chalices
• Eight Unusual Magical Tools
• Twelve Magical Ropes
• Magical Droplets
• Six Magical Cubes
• Potion Alternatives
• Six Magical Crowns
• Eight Nasty Magical Keys
• Ten Cursed Blades
• Six Enchanted Rods
• Twenty Places of Power
• Twenty Pocket Dimensions
• Magical Chess Pieces
• Ten magical Steeds
• Spell names (Good/Neutral/Evil)
• Twelve Magical Wands
• Six Luck Talismans
  
• One hundred magic-related rumors!

More info coming soon!

MMXXIV

 

Yay! Another year!

I'm still here, still semi-active in the TTRPG creative department. Too tired with people to participate in any online activities such as social media and stuff. Too burned out with Pain RPG to finally finish, playtest and release it. Too tired to care.

But it doesn't mean I'm done. Actually, for the last month or two I've been working on another generic supplement, called the Aldarien's Magic Tome. And it will be about - you guessed it - magic! Random tables with strange items, even stranger item names, tons of magic-related rumors (dunno, 200-1000 of them, depending on my mental state, haha), NO SPELLS. There are amazing spell crafters in the community that are way better than me - and you should relate on their creativity and talent more than on mine - at least in the case of magical spells. Here you can fint the finest example of them all.

Right now, the supplement is about halfway done (still fighting with the rumors) and will have like 50-70 A5-sized pages. Maybe I will find power to make some (non-AI) artwork for it. Maybe it will remain as text-only. Who knows.

Well, that's all for now. I will post here once it's released. Meanwhile, take care!